Optics is playing a greater and wider role in the fields of electronics, telecommunications, signal processing, and data storage. Light beams are preferable over electrical signals because of its high bandwidth and speed. Rather than using conventional electrical signals, optical based systems employ light beams to convey and process information. In optical based systems, a light source, such as a laser, is modulated to convey the desired information. By implementing digital or analog modulation, the light beam can be used in a wide variety of different applications. Chief among these applications has been the generation of visual displays, optical signal processing, optical digital computing, laser printing, and storage of digital information, etc.
Although lasers can be modulated at rather high frequencies, many applications require even higher data rates. In an effort to increase the data rate, some prior art optical systems have implemented multiple light beams. By processing these multiple light beams in parallel, the overall speed of the system can be dramatically enhanced. Depending on the particular application, the number of light beams can range from tens to perhaps several thousands.
One problem associated with prior art light modulators is that attention was typically directed to maximizing the number of modulator array elements, rather than the element or total array modulation rate. This has resulted in spatial light modulation schemes being accessed by means other than electrically, and typically being slow. The known electrically accessed spatial light modulation schemes, such as liquid crystal displays, are slow optically driven devices using photosensitive materials and serial scanned cathode ray tubes as a means of access.
Another problem with two-dimensional modulator arrays lies in fabrication. If physically large modulators were to be implemented, the size of the packaging would increase several fold. Conversely, small modulator arrays are expensive to produce because of the difficulty in reliably achieving electrical contact between each of the many modulator elements.
Thus, there is a need in the prior art for an efficient method of fabricating a two dimensional array of electro-optic modulators. It would also be preferable if such a fabrication scheme could reliably connect to the various modulator elements.